Utah youth 'Stand For Decency'
and show a heart

Signs carried in the march included: "Porn supports rape," "Scorn Porn," and "Pornography causes child abuse." Another banner promoted Morality in Media's ObscenityCrimes.org Web site.

Rally participants heard speeches by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff; Miss Utah 2002 Natalie Johnson (pictured here); Utah Young Mother of the Year Amy Fielding, and others. Event sponsors are Homes Offering Moral Empowerment (H.O.M.E.), Women for Decency, Citizens for Family Values, Utah's Attorney General's Office, The Leavitt Group, Boy Scouts of America, American Mothers, and Laser Precision.

"Two women whose families were profoundly affected by pornography, JoAnn Autry and Emmajean Hansen, joined hands and led the march with a great deal of emotion.

"A man addicted to pornography killed Autry's daughter, Trisha.

"Hansen and her eight children were devastated when her husband killed himself in December 2001 after fighting an addiction to pornography that began when he was inadvertently exposed to it as a child.

" 'The things they are teaching about pornography being addicting is true,' Hansen told the youth on the steps of the capitol. 'My husband was a family man. He spent hours teaching and loving his children. He thought that he could white knuckle pornography, that if he just had enough strong will he could break it.'"

In addition, the rally was a cap for a "blanket drive" organized by SFD youth. They had been making blankets for abused children since July. At the rally, over 2000 blankets were collected and deposited in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol. The blankets were donated to the "My Stuff Bags" program sponsored by radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger.